The trends of 2021

August 1, 2020

The trends of 2021

August 1, 2020
It is time to look to the future again and then 3 trends stand out in particular.

Most people in the media world are happy that 2020 is over. The COVID crisis hit employees and employers hard in the past year, apart from a few. Fortunately, there has been some recovery in the last two quarters, which seems to have been the worst. The advertising market recovered and productions could be restarted, albeit with restrictions. It is time to look to the future again and then 3 trends stand out in particular.

First of all, the "traditional" media companies defend themselves by setting up VOD initiatives themselves. Global players such as Disney and Discovery do this by coming up with their own SVOD proposition, which is complementary to what Netflix and Amazon have to offer. Both companies did this by putting + behind the name and behind this there are very ambitious plans. Disney uses its extensive kids catalog and does not hesitate to use major films such as the Star Wars series. Discovery positions itself as a factual expert, and in some regions (such as Europe) also focuses on Sport. It is almost impossible for both initiatives to be very successful this year. Broadcasters also start up national VOD activities, whether or not in a mix of AVOD and SVOD. I have already skewed about that in my column in October last year.

The second trend is a very striking one: Studios are about to stop premiere films, but to introduce them directly on their own SVOD platforms. This makes the need (after all, going to the cinema has been banned worldwide for months) into a virtue: big, new titles continue to attract a large audience. Disney has embraced this strategy, but the most aggressive player appears to be Warner Media, which has shifted many premieres to its SVOD platform HBO Max. Only time will tell if this is a wise strategy, because the international box office has been a cashcow for blockbuster films for decades. At the end of the year, we will be able to assess whether this bold strategy has been successful.

The third trend: local governments are very concerned about the increasing importance of Big Tech. In addition to the initiatives to divide these companies into pieces (which will take a long time), national governments are increasingly looking at how to protect their own media industry. On the one hand, this will be done by allowing scaling-up in the media. It is not without reason that Thomas Raabe, the CEO of RTL, bombarded the competition authorities with the idea that advertising markets should be viewed as a whole. This could pave the way for national media mergers. The British government is also engaged in a consultation (called Small Screen, Big Debate) to see whether the BBC should be given more opportunities in the online field. I would not be surprised if in the future this debate also started to erupt in the rest of Europe, which would be good news for every European public broadcaster.

You might also be interested in these articles...

Sports Trends

123 million Americans watched the Super Bowl live on February 12th. This unbelievable number once again marks the power of live sports broadcasts on television, a dream marriage for every advertiser. Those who want to reach a broad mass audience gladly choose the Sports-TV combination. This year will be a fantastic year for broadcasters who are (partly) dependent on advertising for financing. The European Football Championship, the Olympic Games, and a series of other great events; TV advertising will break records this year. The old medium is not doing so bad after all.

It's no wonder that the value of sports rights keeps increasing. The English Premier League remains the unrivaled frontrunner in this regard. In December, the new deal for domestic rights was sealed for the unbelievable amount of nearly 8 billion euros, an increase of 30% compared to the previous 3-year deal. Several pay TV channels have become entirely dependent on top football, know that the streamers will enter the battle and have no option but to engage. Of course, this will lead to accidents if policies remain unchanged. An intelligent solution has been found in the Netherlands, where long-term, joint exploitation of football rights leads to a win-win situation.

At the beginning of this year, two notable new initiatives emerged elsewhere. First off, a very remarkable deal in the United States came about between players who were fierce competitors until recently. In the United States, sports on TV belonged to ESPN. In its heyday, as many as 100 million Americans subscribed to ESPN 1 and 2, and sports rights were long-term deals, ensuring no surprises on the cost side would emerge. Shareholder Disney was, of course, delighted with this simple but highly effective business model for years. However, in recent years, concrete decay has been detected: cord-cutting undermined the revenue model, and alternative programming from streamers did the rest. Disney's own streaming service ESPN+ couldn't fill the gap.

Under pressure, everything becomes fluid, as became evident again at the beginning of the year. The three sworn archenemies Fox, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery are joining forces to launch a sports streaming platform. This is not just a deal where a common front door is created, behind which all services are separately served. It seems to become truly one platform where all content is available at one common price. The name for the new platform has not yet been announced, but it is possible that old brands like ESPN will make way for a new one.

A more modest initiative emerges in Europe. The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) starts Eurovision Sport, making intelligent use of a well-known brand. Here too, it's about one platform, on which all swimming, athletics, and gymnastics should be visible. Of course, this initiative pales in comparison to what's happening in the US, but it's innovative nonetheless. The 'old media' are renewing themselves under pressure from consumer demand and the undoubtedly impending attack from the major streamers.

READ MORE

2024 Predictions

A new year is upon us. What are the major trends for the next 12 months, and what can we expect, not only in the Netherlands but also internationally? For those wanting to know what lies ahead in the longer term, it is best to turn to Evan Shapiro, the leading futurist in the American TMT sector. According to Shapiro, the valuations of Big Tech have once again risen to such incredible heights (for example, Apple and Microsoft are now worth over 3 trillion (!)  each), that it's only a matter of time before Big Tech will truly infiltrate and dominate the media world, in pursuit of advertising revenue. This invasion is expected to unfold through sports rights. While it hasn't reached the Netherlands yet, what happens in the US will undoubtedly make its way to us. The most captivating sports rights deal for us this year revolves around Formula 1, and it seems logical that this will be a battle between Ziggo and RTL. Amazon Prime will not join this battle for now.

Prediction 2: After a year of rest, media companies are actively pursuing economies of scale again. The initial talks between Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount have already taken place. It will be a busy year for dealmakers. As mentioned, Big Tech casts its shadow ahead, leading traditional media concerns (which are comparatively negligible in size) to strengthen their defenses. Big Tech might outpace them: the acquisition of a 'cheaply valued' company like Paramount is small matter for the new rulers. Many significant deals are on the horizon this year, surpassing the magnitude of the last major deal - the merger between Warner Bros and Discovery.

Prediction 3: The use of data will play an even larger role in the media world. The measurement of viewership and listenership figures has seen a revamp this year, and we can expect many more changes. The direction it will take is uncertain; currently, media companies benefit from various less objective measurement systems, but in the long run, this will change due to the arrival of Big Tech. In this domain, a real revolution is on the horizon.

Prediction 4: Public broadcasters will retain their value in Europe. Although we can anticipate the new coalition in the Netherlands will reduce the funding for the public broadcasting system, public broadcasters in our neighboring countries (and here as well) will survive. The required changes are enormous; just take a glance at the funding system of the BBC, which is under intense pressure. Nevertheless, the public broadcaster is definitely not heading for the slaughterhouse, contrary to the notion of many that its days are numbered.

The final prediction concerns the world of sports rights. In the past year, Serie A in Italy struggled to sell its rights. My prediction is that, also due to Big Tech's interest, sports rights prices will soar again. Excellent news for sports rights holders!

READ MORE

Podcast met Tina Nijkamp en Vincent ter Voert over format-trends

Wat zijn de format-trends in het Nederlandse taalgebied en hoe doen Nederland en België het op het wereldwijde format-toneel?

Waarin zit de kunst van het maken en casten van reality-tv en waarom lijkt daar in dit tijdsgewricht extra vraag naar te zijn?

En welke programma’s hebben Tina en Vincent meegebracht om te bespreken?

Je hoort het in de 3Rivers: Joost Mag Het Weten podcast.

READ MORE